How to Use this Book

This volume is divided into two distinct sections: Part I, “Organizing for the Disorganized,” outlines my ADHD-friendly organizing methodology, so you can apply it to your home, your schedule, and your life. It discusses the precepts and myths of good organization, and the reasons why some organizational strategies may be suitable for one individual with ADHD, while others are disastrous. Part II, “Individual Projects,” is arranged by room or project and consists of common, real-life organizing problems faced by my ADHD clients and the solutions to those problems. These have been limited to mostly small-scale organizing tasks that won’t overwhelm.

Once you have finished reading Part I, feel free to flip ahead and find an organizational project that suits your needs. With each project you complete, my hope is that you’ll have gained enough confidence in your organizing abilities to tackle yet another task until you’re well on your way to a happy, harmonious, and more organized life.

The Rules of Organizing

1. Inventory (i.e., your “stuff”) must conform to storage. In the ADHD home especially, inventory MUST NOT fill storage.
2. Make your things easy to access and easier to put away. In the ADHD home, ease of stowage takes precedence over ease of retrieval.
3. Only touch (or sort) it once. For example, sort or toss mail as soon as you open it; don’t add it to a pile you’ll have to sort again later.
4. Duplicate where necessary to store things where you use them.
5. Eliminate items that unnecessarily duplicate functions (e.g., handpowered can opener or electric can opener, not both).
6. Name your cabinets and shelves (dish cabinet, sock drawer, etc.) to remind yourself that only those items are stored therein.
7. Make sure the “rough storage” areas in your home are well lit and easily accessible.

Here are some of the tricks that make this an ADHD-friendly work space:

• Stationery essentials fit together in one drawer—it’s inefficient to both manage a large inventory and wander the house hunting down supplies.
• Retractable pens eliminate the distraction of playing with caps.
• Randomly colored folders (not to be confused with color-coded folders) act as a quick visual reminder for finding papers.
• Stackable trays allow you to file without opening a drawer and hunting down a folder.
• A handy wastebasket encourages you to throw out garbage the minute you are done with it.
• A deep recycling basket encourages you to throw out those questionable papers that might be garbage, because you know you can retrieve them anytime over the several months it takes to fill the bin up.
• No decorative items clutter the desktop where they would ambush efficiency. The space is attractive because is it functional and organized. Attractive wall colors, nice furniture, and wall hangings provide aesthetic appeal without ambushing efficiency.